King John -- III. 4.
GREATNESS.
Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the state of man: To-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hope, to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honors thick upon him;
The third day, comes a frost, a killing frost;
And,--when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is ripening,--nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do.